Jack Savoretti, Symphony Hall, Birmingham - review
This has been the real breakthrough year for Jack Savoretti, scoring his first number one album with his sixth LP, Singing To Strangers, and playing to full houses across the country.
The English singer-songwriter with Italian, German and Polish heritage was Euro suave at the Birmingham venue, sharp in his blue suit, radiating easy going charm and exercising that distinctive husky vocal on a succession of smouldering love songs.
There was a cinematic quality to his music reflected by a stage set involving red velvet curtains and huge movie set-style floor lamps.
Opener Candlelight sounds like it should have been a Bond theme and also hints at the dramatic movie music of Italian maestro Ennio Morricone, whose music was playing in the background before the concert to set the mood.
With a band including rock guitarist, bassist, drummer, keyboards and violinist, Savoretti's sound was flexible enough to include soulful balladry, the gorgeous What More Can I Do?; pure Euro pop, Youth & Love; and the arm-waving anthem Home.
Other highlights of the 90-minute set included Soldier's Eyes from his 2007 debut Between the Minds, When We Were Lovers from 2016's Sleep No More and Love Is On The Line from the latest album.
The most charming story came at the encore when 36-year-old Savoretti revealed that the title for the new album and tour came from his young daughter who, when asked by a friend what her dad did for a living, simply said he travels the world 'singing to strangers'.
